Esther Rantzen sacked in wake of Savile scandal (Updated)

Esther Rantzen, the founder of ChildLine, has been sacked by the National Association for People Abused in Childhood. The decision follows Rantzen's admission that she blocked her ears to all the rumours about Jimmy Savile.

When Esther Rantzen appeared on the ITV Exposure documentary, in responding to the allegations about Jimmy Savile's sexual assaults on young girls, she admitted she had known of the rumours and had not done anything. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC) has now sacked her as one of its patrons.

According to the Daily Mail, only three days ago, Rantzen vehemently denied rumours that the NAPAC were considering sacking her as one of its patrons. She said:

I'm staying put.

According to Unreality TV, Mr Peter Saunders, the Chief Executive and founder of the NAPAC, said:

In the light of her admission that she heard rumours about Savile but did nothing, I am going to ask the trustees if they feel she is an appropriate patron.

A number of people have contacted us to say they don’t feel she is.

It is now clear from the NAPAC's website that Rantzen has been removed from her role as patron of the charity. Esther Rantzen's name and picture are no longer listed as a patron, or in any other capacity.

Esther Rantzen told the Daily Express that she now fears that the Savile scandal will destroy her life's work. She said:

Say what you like about me – just please don’t destroy my life’s work.

She also amended her admission that she had heard rumours about Savile's behaviour by claiming she had only heard one rumour about him when she was a twenty-one year old BBC researcher. Rantzen denies that she had any suspicion that Savile was a predatory paedophile. She also says she cannot recall any culture of sexual harassment during her years at the BBC.

As of Wednesday October 17, the NAPAC website includes the assertion:

Esther Rantzen CBE, OBE remains a Patron of NAPAC and we trust that she will continue to support us in any way she can.